With the trade deadline just a few hours away at this juncture, this week’s Fantrax Dynasty Stock Watch column takes a look at some of the fantasy fallout from several high-profile deals over the last few days and the impact of those moves from a long-term dynasty standpoint.
Trade Deadline Fallout for Dynasty Leagues
UP – Jazz Chisholm Jr., INF/OF, Yankees
The biggest blockbuster to date in the run-up to Tuesday’s trade deadline saw Chisholm head to New York in an effort to inject some badly-needed life into the Yankees’ slumping lineup. The dynamic 26-year-old outfielder is expected to transition to third base in the coming weeks as a result of New York’s outfield logjam and figures to eventually ascend to the leadoff spot after batting fifth on Sunday in his Yankees debut. We’re not anticipating a massive spike in over-the-fence pop, but it’s unquestionably a positive development for Chisholm’s immediate and long-term fantasy outlook that he finds himself out of Miami and in the middle of a star-studded lineup at hitter-friendly Yankee Stadium. It’s simultaneously a floor-raising trade for Chisholm that adds a few extra inches of long-term ceiling to his future projection.
UP – Isaac Paredes, INF, Cubs
Paredes has settled in as a certifiable top-100 dynasty contributor over the last three seasons since arriving in Tampa Bay as he’s managed to post near-elite power numbers without impressive under-the-hood Statcast metrics. The 25-year-old slugging corner infielder stands to benefit exponentially from the move to Chicago’s hitter-friendly Wrigley Field, which is far more favorable for over-the-fence pop than Tropicana Field. It’s a bit difficult to figure out the Rays’ rationale for the deal since Paredes is capable of handling multiple defensive positions and won’t reach free agency until after the 2027 campaign. It feels like an absolute steal for the Cubs as Paredes gives them a middle-of-the-order impact bat for the next few years at a relatively low cost. We’re not anticipating a huge jump in his overall numbers, but some slight environmental upgrades should help boost him a couple of spots in the next installment of the Fantrax Top 500 overall dynasty rankings.
UP – Agustin Ramirez, C, Marlins
There simply wasn’t much of a path to regular at-bats in New York for Ramirez with their current logjam at designated hitter and the presence of Austin Wells, Jose Trevino, and Carlos Narvaez at the highest level, so the move to Miami as the centerpiece of the Jazz Chisholm Jr. trade should open the door for regular playing time in the big leagues. The 22-year-old backstop didn’t exactly set the world on fire after being promoted to Triple-A last month but managed to turn things around after some initial struggles. His appeal for dynasty managers is a part-time first base and designated hitter who manages to log enough games behind the plate to retain catcher eligibility. We’re acknowledging that loanDepot park isn’t ideal from an over-the-fence power standpoint, but Ramirez projects as an impact catcher for fantasy purposes after batting .269 with 20 homers and 18 steals across 386 plate appearances this season between Double-A and Triple-A in the Yankees’ system. The fact that he has a much clearer avenue to a full-time opportunity in Miami outweighs the downgrades in ballpark and supporting cast.
UP – Dylan Lesko, P, Rays
The prototypical prospect reclamation project, Lesko represents a highly intriguing dice roll for Tampa Bay’s player development engine as his dynasty stock has taken a tumble this season as he’s walked a staggering 16.5 percent of the hitters he’s faced at High-A Fort Wayne, leading to a bloated 6.46 ERA, 1.54 WHIP and 79/52 K/BB ratio across 69 2/3 innings (16 starts). There’s clearly a reason the Rays went after Lesko, who was one of the better pitching prospects in the game at this time last year, so we’re going to assume they have some sort of game plan to get him back on track. At a bare minimum, Lesko represents an interesting buy-low opportunity for dynasty managers in the hope that he manages to solve his omnipresent command issues.
DOWN – Deyvison De Los Santos, INF, Marlins
De Los Santos deserves a ton of credit for vastly improving his plate skills this season in the upper minors, without sacrificing any of his mammoth over-the-fence pop, posting a stratospheric 1.011 OPS with 28 homers in 87 games between Double-A Amarillo and Triple-A Reno in Arizona’s system before being shipped last week to the rebuilding Marlins. The 21-year-old slugging prospect appears poised to get some extended runway with Miami in the near future, which is a positive development for his dynasty value. However, the biggest lingering question in his profile is whether questionable swing decisions and an ultra-aggressive approach at the plate will undermine his tantalizing fantasy profile at the highest level. The other big variable here is loanDepot park, which has consistently graded out as one of the worst in baseball, especially for right-handed power hitters. There are zero doubts that his brand of elite over-the-fence pop won’t be significantly impacted in Miami, but it’s not an insignificant factor moving forward. There are plenty of reasons for optimism with De Los Santos, especially since he’s just turned 21 years old, and has dominated in the upper minors, but he’s far from a sure thing for dynasty purposes.
DOWN – George Klassen, P, Angels
It’s undoubtedly positive that Klassen is heading to an organization in Los Angeles that has displayed a propensity in recent years to aggressively push their starting pitching prospects. Unfortunately, their track record as a player development engine remains checkered, to say the least. The hard-throwing 22-year-old righty was one of the biggest dynasty risers in the first half as he displayed dramatically improved command from his collegiate career at Minnesota, leading to a dominant 1.97 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, and 89/21 K/BB ratio across 59 1/3 innings (14 starts) between Low-A Clearwater and High-A Jersey Shore in the Phillies’ system. There are some lingering questions about whether the command backslides in the upper minors, but the talent is there for him to eventually make an impact for dynasty managers at the highest level. If everything comes together, it’s a top-of-the-rotation projection, but he’s far from a sure thing at this stage of his development. Simply put, the trade out west to Los Angeles away from Philadelphia certainly amplifies the long-term risk in his forecast.
DOWN – Christopher Morel, INF/OF, Cubs
The Rays have a lengthy history of getting the best out of talents they bring in from other organizations with Randy Arozarena, Isaac Paredes, and Yandy Díaz standing out as notable recent examples. Morel represents an immensely talented lottery ticket for Tampa Bay as he boasts impressive over-the-fence pop, and will also chip in the occasional stolen base, but hasn’t contributed much from a traditional batting average standpoint for fantasy baseball purposes. The biggest reason for pessimism moving forward is that Tropicana Field continues to grade out as one of the least hitter-friendly ballparks in the game and Tampa Bay’s supporting cast has definitely taken a hit with some of their decisions to pivot towards a rebuild on the fly effort. Morel’s brand of over-the-fence pop will play in any ballpark, but it’s difficult to envision him reaching his ultimate power ceiling with the Rays. There’s also the question of whether he’s pretty much close to a finished product from a development standpoint at 25 years old. The talent is clearly there, and he’ll get an opportunity as a middle-of-the-order presence with the Rays, but there are still some lingering question marks here for dynasty purposes.